Happiness Break: What To Do When You're Struggling, With Spring Washam

Treating yourself with kindness reduces anxiety and improves coping skills. Spring Washam encourages us to be more self-compassionate through a short guided meditation.

Link to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8t9st

How to Do This Practice:

1. Find a comfortable position and begin to focus on your breath.

2. This is a practice to use when you are struggling in some way. Allow your attention to turn toward your suffering and notice how you feel, and where those emotions are held in your body. Close your eyes and imagine that you are literally breathing in compassion and care for yourself.

3. Hold your left hand in your right, or place your hands on your heart, holding yourself with care.

4. Continue to direct compassionate energy to yourself using the mantra “May I care about this suffering. May I care about these difficulties.”

Today’s Happiness Break host:

Spring Washam is a meditation teacher whose practices draw on themes of loving-kindness, well-being and compassion.

Learn More About Spring’s work: https://www.springwasham.com/about/

Listen to Spring’s podcast, The Spirit Underground: https://tinyurl.com/y87mxrw2

Follow Spring on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springwasham/?hl=en

Follow Spring on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teacher.springwasham

More resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

How to Feel Better About Yourself (The Science of Happiness Podcast): https://tinyurl.com/3jh5rheb

How to Bring Self-Compassion to Work with You: https://tinyurl.com/45zkrkam

The Five Myths of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/2p88vass

How Self-Compassion Can Help You Through a Breakup: https://tinyurl.com/222scejz

Can Self-Compassion Overcome Procrastination? https://tinyurl.com/mrfmvyj

The Three Components of Self-Compassion: https://tinyurl.com/mwa2zddp

We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience practicing self compassion. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Find us on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yrv47mh7

Help us share Happiness Break! Rate us on Spotify and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/yrv47mh7

We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day.